Issue date: 4/28/05 Section: The Verge

Media Credit: Stephen Haas Delilah Davis, of Charleston, makes a glass marble for a customer last year at the booth for her business, Inside the Rainbow, during Celebration on the Library Quad. Davis was set up with a fellow glass artist, Cliff Thomas.

For the past two years or so, rain has threatened to put a damper on Celebration, an outdoor festival of music and the arts on the Library Quad.

But inclement weather won't stop food vendors, art vendors and performers from making it to the 28th Annual Celebration this year, said Dan Crews, director of publicity for the College of Arts and Humanities.

"There's always a possibility of rain," Crews said.

Every other year or so the festival has had to go on during inclement weather, he said, adding, "there's never been a festival rained out all three days."

The problem with moving the festival indoors lies in the fact that the ballrooms are normally booked for receptions on the weekends, he said. Also, people still want to be outdoors to take part in the festivities.

"We try to shoot for the best weather possible," Crews said.

Celebration will run April 29 through May 1, the last weekend for students to kick back and relax before finals.

An "eclectic mix" of music, including everything from jazz to folk and classical rock will entertain students and community members who attend.

"We try to give local and regional groups an opportunity to play," Crews said.

The bands will play on a soundstage under a canopy, so the state of the art sound equipment is protected from the threat of rain.

"I've been going to Celebration since I was a little kid in the eighties," said JB Faires, a musician playing with the band Airtight at Celebration this year.

Faires said the weather usually is not a big problem. He has played at the festival in past years with bands like Butcher's Legs, a bluegrass/country rock band, and Funkallero, a hip hop/reggae ensemble and has never had much trouble with the weather.

This year, however, Faires will play with an all-acoustic old-time string band, which presents a problem if there is too much moisture in the air.

The wood on the instruments is thin and the instruments themselves are hollow, Faires said.

"The wood changes with the weather," he said. "It can cause the instrument to go out of tune."

Faires has been checking the forecast, and according to weather.com, Charleston residents can expect a high of 58 degrees and rain on Friday, and a high of 62 degrees and showers through Saturday.

No matter the weather, Crews said the festival will go on. In past years, some vendors have pulled out and refused to show up, but for the most part they are professionals and wouldn't miss a chance to do business, he said.

In addition to the music, there will be art vendors both selling and demonstrating their work, such as jewelry making, pottery making, painting and photography, and there will be food vendors as well.

Faires is "hoping for the best; expecting the worst," he said. "I'll be out there anyway."

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